- The winless Flames are fielding calls on Zach Whitecloud, Morgan Frost and Connor Zary
- David Pagnotta named one Canadian team as a possible fit for Whitecloud
- Read below and watch the video of Pagnotta breaking down all three trade situations
Three Calgary Flames are already drawing trade interest, and the season is barely a week old.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said Wednesday on Daily Faceoff LIVE that Calgary is talking with teams about Zach Whitecloud, Morgan Frost and Connor Zary. He also pointed to the Toronto Maple Leafs as a club that could push for Whitecloud.
The chatter follows an ugly start. Calgary lost its first three games by a combined 16-3 and is still looking for its first win.
Watch Pagnotta’s full segment on the Flames:
Whitecloud is the name with the longest list of suitors. Pagnotta explained how quickly the phones lit up once the defenceman landed in Calgary.
“He’s the guy that generated a lot of interest last season, almost immediately,” Pagnotta said. “Like, as soon as that trade with Vegas was completed, teams reached out to Conroy and said, ‘What’s your plan with Whitecloud?’”
The Flames got Whitecloud from the Golden Knights in January as part of the Rasmus Andersson trade. He carries a $2.75 million cap hit through 2027-28, owns a Stanley Cup ring from 2023 and was just named an alternate captain on Sept. 30.
Toronto came up next, and Pagnotta explained where the Leafs fit in.
“I mentioned yesterday on Leafs Morning Take, Toronto being a team that’s looking at that type of defenseman,” he said. “Wouldn’t surprise me at all if they escalate those conversations with Calgary to see if maybe something can happen there, but they won’t be the only ones.”
Leafs fans know Whitecloud well. His high hit on Matthew Knies in November 2024 knocked the winger out of a game, and Knies later dropped the gloves with him right off an opening faceoff. Pagnotta added that Montreal showed interest in Whitecloud last season, too.
Frost sounds like the most likely of the three to go. The center is in the last year of a deal with a $4.375 million cap hit and an eight-team no-trade clause, coming off a 22-goal, 43-point season.
“I expect him to be a prime candidate to be moved at some point this season,” Pagnotta said of Frost.
Zary is the trickier one. Calgary put the former first-round pick on waivers Monday, and all 31 teams passed. We pointed out the scoring problem behind that move when it happened:
Pagnotta was asked why nobody grabbed Zary for free. His answer came down to money.
“With Zary, I think there was interest, but he’s got a $3.775 million cap hit for the next two years, and that’s the reason why he wasn’t plucked,” he said. “I think teams want to send back a little bit of money and not eat that full hit.”
Calgary hosts the Avalanche on Thursday, still chasing win No. 1 while Craig Conroy works the phones on all three players.
